USA: Ford focuses on electricity

With all of the excitement around the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius plug-in, Ford has been given short shrift in regard to its substantial electric car programs.

In this new year, we’ll be hearing more about electrification efforts behind The Blue Oval.

Hybrid leadership

We might forget that Ford was an early leader with hybrids, putting the Escape and Mariner compact crossovers to the roads before we had even thought about a new generation of pure electrics.

The midsize Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ hybrids impress with their 41/36 mpg city/highway — as well as in the way you hardly notice anything different. Hybrid or not, they’re pretty good cars that drive like well-mannered family sedans.

Although the 2013 Escape will trade its hybrid system for efficient EcoBoost engines, Ford isn’t giving up on electric vehicles.

Focus goes electric

Billed as the Òfirst five-passenger, all-electric car to achieve more than 100 mpg-equivalent,Ó the 2012 Ford Focus Electric is more efficient than the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt, but won’t have extended-range capability like the Volt.
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